Bonds That Surpass Fate
by Edge of Hyrule
Summary: "May I ask ... Do you really remember me?" Post-BOTW story that touches on the question that Zelda asks Link at the end of the game after Calamity Ganon is defeated.
1. Trauma Wounds and Healing

_"May I ask ... do you really remember me?"_

Link opens his eyes as he wakes up, smiling at that memory. He and Zelda had just defeated Calamity Ganon just one week before and they've been helping each other to cope with their demons. The Ex-Champion sits up on his makeshift bed and looks over at the beautiful Zelda as she sleeps soundly in his bed. Link smiles as he watches her, a peaceful expression on her face. Suddenly, Zelda's relaxed face screws into one of pain and fear as she relives a bad dream about to turn into a nightmare.

"N...No, Link. Don't leave me," Zelda mumbles, tossing and turning as her pained expression morphs into one of fear.

Link takes this into account and leaps to his feet, rushing over to the bed and puts his hand on Zelda's shoulder. Her eyes burst open and she sits up quickly, her breathing very rough as she tries to catch her breath. Link wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her to him.

"Oh, Link," Zelda whispers, burying her face in his neck as she starts crying, her hands balled into fists on the front of his sleep tunic. "Thank you for rescuing me from that."

Link rests his cheek on the top of her head and strokes her long hair. "I'm glad to have been of help," he whispers back.

"Hmm," Zelda sighs, still holding onto Link.

"Princess - I mean, Zelda," Link asks, resting his chin on the top of her head. "If you don't mind my asking, what was your nightmare about?"

Zelda doesn't look up at him. "I was reliving the moment you had collapsed after fighting the Guardians," she replies, her voice breaking as she begins sobbing. "I was so scared that I was going to lose the one remaining friend that I shared a close bond with that I forgot that that had already happened."

Link knows that this is one of the demons she must deal with because she had failed to save her best friend in time. "It's all right now, Zelda," he murmurs, letting go of her to rest his hands on her shoulders. "I'm here now and I won't ever leave you alone again."

Zelda smiles and kisses his cheek, putting her hand on the back of his head and making their foreheads touch. "And I know for a fact that I'll never leave you alone either," she promises, moving her hand from the back of Link's head to his cheek.

Link glances up at the former princess. "Are you okay now?" he asks gently, taking her hands in his.

Zelda doesn't answer, doesn't even nod.

Link decides to let her be and goes to get up, but Zelda quickly grabs his wrist.

"Link, wait," she says softly and looks up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Don't go," she pleads, her hand moving down to take his hand.

"But, Zelda, I'm not gonna leave," Link replies gently, squeezing her other hand reassuringly with his free hand. "I'm gonna be right by you if-"

"Please, stay."

The true fear in Zelda's eyes makes Link rethink his decision. "Okay, I'll stay," he whispers, sitting down next to her once more. As Zelda falls asleep, he lays down very carefully next to her and tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. The former princess smiles in her sleep and Link gently presses a light kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Princess," he whispers, falling into a pleasant sleep.

* * *

_A couple weeks later..._

The two remaining former Champions have become comfortable with sleeping in the same bed together, but they still respect each other's boundaries and sleep on opposite sides of the bed.

Link groggily opens his eyes and sits up, stretching. He looks next to him and watches as Zelda sleeps peacefully. He smiles and tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear that has fallen in her face. Being careful not to wake her up, he rises from the bed and heads downstairs very quietly, getting ready for the day. He opens and closes the door very quietly so that he can go get some breakfast for he and Zelda.

_30 minutes later..._

Zelda slowly opens her eyes and groans quietly as she sits up. She looks around and doesn't see Link downstairs; in fact, she doesn't spot him anywhere in the house. Staying calm, she gets up and silently goes down the stairs after she changes into her field outfit. "Link?" she calls, opening the door and peering out to look over where the cooking pot is, but she doesn't see him over there. _'Hmm,' _she thinks, stepping outside and closing the door. _'Where'd he go?'_

Link comes from around the back of the house with only his Hylian trousers on, his hair damp from washing up in the pond. "Were you looking for me, Zelda?" he asks, clipping his tunic up to dry in the mid-morning sun.

Zelda shakes her head and clasps her hands together behind her back. "I was just wondering where you were," she replies, fiddling with her sleep clothes, a light pink hue on her cheeks.

Link crosses his arms over his bare chest. "And how am I to know that you were also coming out to see me with no tunic on?" he teases, a grin on his face.

Zelda blushes, her face turning bright red. "N-No, Link, that's not what it is," she stammers quickly, looking away.

Link chuckles. "Well, since you're already out here, I need you to go get dressed because we're going out," he says, going towards the door and holding his hand out to Zelda. "Shall we go now, Princess?"

Zelda nods, tentatively grabbing his hand. "Mmhmm," she replies, the tips of her ears turning a slight pink at the sight of their hands touching.

_Later that day, in the twilight hours..._

Link and Zelda ride Epona and Blizzard to Satori Mountain and slow their horses to a stop at the shrine.

"Let's tie the horses here," Link says, hopping off Epona and leading her to a small pond, tying the reins to a tree branch that hangs over the pond. Zelda follows suit and ties Blizzard to another overhanging branch. "We have to be very quiet because, otherwise, we might scare it away."

Zelda cocks her head slightly, confused. "What are you talking about, Link?" she asks.

Link hands her the Sheikah Slate after he uses it to change into his Sheikah outfit. "Just go into my inventory and press on the same outfit that I have on," he says.

Zelda nods and does as she's told. "Okay, so what's the point of me having this on?" she asks, looking her outfit over.

"I just told you, Zel," Link replies, annoyed. "We'll scare it away."

"What is 'it', Link?" Zelda asks impatiently, putting her hands on her hips.

Link sighs, shaking his head. "I can't tell you, Zel," he replies softly, taking her hand in his. "If I gave up what the secret is, it'd ruin the whole surprise."

Zelda rolls her eyes. "Fine," she huffs, crossing her arms. "But I still don't get _why _I have to be quiet."

Link shakes his head. "We have to be quiet because it doesn't come around often, so it's a real treat to see," he hints, winking at Zelda.

Zelda gasps and her hands go to cover her mouth. "Wait, do you seriously mean to say that we're going to watch the Lord of the Mountain?" she asks in disbelief.

Link nods, smiling at the thought of her mind working. _'Goddesses, I love her so much,' _he thinks. _'I think that I want to ask her to marry me.' _"Alright, Zel, let's go now," he says, trekking up the small incline, Zelda following behind him. He holds his hand out to her and she takes it, Link pulling her up.

Unfortunately, as Link is pulling Zelda up the incline, he loses his footing and tumbles to the ground, taking Zelda with him. He lands on his back with a grunt and Zelda lands on top of him, the two of them staring at each other curiously and wondering how that could've even happened the way it did.

Link is the first to break the awkward silence. "Um...are you okay, Zelda?" he asks, his ears red at the ends.

Zelda swallows nervously and nods quickly. "Yeah," she replies, getting off of him and helping him up. "Let's go watch the Lord of the Mountain."


	2. Unexpected Circumstances

Link and Zelda crawl on the ground as they make their way to the home of the Lord of the Mountain. "This way," Link whispers, crawling over to the left and crouching behind a large clump of bushes. "You can't even talk louder than a whisper, Zel."

Zelda crouches next to him. "Why?" she asks in a whisper.

Link grins. "So that it doesn't hear us and disappear," he replies, gesturing for her to peek over. "Take a look."

Zelda peeks over the shrubs and she gasps softly, a hand covering her mouth. "Oh, Goddesses," she whispers in awe. "It's beautiful."

Link takes her other hand and squeezes it tight. "Stunning, isn't he?" he asks, his grin getting bigger when Zelda looks at him, her own big grin on her face. "What?"

Zelda shakes her head. "Nothing," she replies, crawling away from Link and back towards the entrance. _'Goddesses, why is he so handsome all so suddenly?' _she thinks, her face red in a blush. Once she's past the entrance, she climbs to her feet and rushes over to hide her face in Blizzard's saddle.

"Zelda?" Link asks as he slowly treks over to her. "You okay?" he asks softly, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her upper arms.

Zelda whips around, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replies, hugging Link suddenly around his neck.

"Woah!" Link steadies himself and wraps his arms around her waist. "Careful, Zel," he warns, feeling her exhale loudly as she buries her face in his shoulder. "I don't want the same thing that happened earlier to us to happen again."

Zelda looks up at him, a lopsided grin on her face. "We definitely wouldn't want that, right?"

Link nods. "Yeah, that wouldn't be very fun," he adds, hugging her again.

The two cease talking for quite some time and just relish the sounds of nature.

"Thank you, Link," Zelda says softly, lifting her head from being nestled in his shoulder to look at him.

Link looks at her, confused. "For what, Zelda?" he asks, moving one of his hands from around her waist to rest his palm on the side of her neck.

Zelda chuckles, pressing her forehead to his. "For staying with me for so long," she whispers, moving her own hand to caress his cheek.

Link smiles slightly and chuckles. "Anytime," he replies, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

Zelda catches a glint of the last bit of sunlight from the day. "Link, look," she says, pulling her head back and turning to look at the brilliant sunset. Link looks too and they both enjoy watching, holding onto each other. "Kind of reminds me of the first sunset we watched together," she adds, looking up at him. "Before _that _day, I mean."

Link nods. "Yeah, that wasn't too long after I saved you from those damned Yiga," he replies, letting go of her and heading back to the horses. "We'd better head back. It's going to be dark by the time we get home."

Zelda nods. "Okay," she agrees, walking over to climb onto Blizzard. Link goes to help her up, but Zelda stops him by putting her hand up. "Link, I'm alright. Let me try on my own."

Link shrugs. "Okay, Zelda," he replies, leaning his back against Epona's saddle and crossing his arms. "I'm going to wait until you get on."

It takes her a couple tries, but Zelda gets on Blizzard and, soon, both of them are on their way back to Hateno Village.

* * *

_A couple hours later..._

Link and Zelda, atop their horses, cross over the bridge and halt their mounts in front of the pond.

"You need help getting down, Zel?" Link asks, jumping off Epona and walking over to his love, watching as she tries to get off Blizzard.

Zelda shakes her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I need to figure this out by myself," she replies, lifting her leg and hopping off.

Link takes Blizzard's reins and removes the bridle. "You can head inside, Zel," he says, his voice low. "I'll take care of the horses."

Zelda shakes her head. "I'm not leaving you out here by yourself," she insists, crossing her arms and looking very sassy from Link's standpoint.

Link can't help but snicker at how irritated Zelda looks.

"What's so gosh darn funny, Link?" Zelda asks.

Link says nothing as he stops taking the gear off Blizzard and walks towards her, stopping right in front of her. "You know that I think you're so cute when you do that, right?" he asks, leaning towards her and pecking her on the lips before she can do anything.

Zelda blushes. "You think I'm cute?" she asks teasingly, stepping closer to him so that their faces are only inches from each other.

Link nods, his ears a slight pink. "Without a shadow of a doubt," he replies confidently, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her body flush against his.

Zelda gasps at the sudden action, but doesn't pull away from him. Neither speak as they get lost in each other's eyes and, before either of them know it, they're sharing their first kiss. Both of them are needy and pull away after a few moments, pressing their foreheads together and closing their eyes.

Link opens his eyes first and glances up at his new girlfriend. "You happy now that you know?" he asks in question, waiting for her to answer.

Zelda opens her eyes as well and pulls her head away from his. "At least I now know that you and I share the same feelings for each other," she replies, letting go of him and walking towards the house. "I'm ready for bed now," she adds, opening the door and looking back at Link.

Link just stands there, staring. _'Goddesses, she looks so perfect,' _he thinks. Shaking his head to clear the blank look on his face, he finishes removing the rest of Blizzard's gear and removes Epona's gear, letting both horses graze in front of the house. Yawning, he heads into the house and trudges up the stairs, crawling into bed and covering himself up. "Zelda?" he whispers in the dark.

The sheets rustle next to him and, soon, Zelda is looking at him, her beautiful green eyes illuminated by the moonlight streaming through their bedroom window. "Yes, Link?" she replies, scooting her body closer to him.

Link slides one of his hands underneath her side and pulls her close, their noses barely touching. "You want to go spend the day with me tomorrow?" he asks, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Just the two of us?"

Zelda nods. "What's the plan for where we're going?" she asks, resting her palm on his neck.

Link smiles. "I was thinking of just going to different places while we're out," he replies.

Zelda raises an eyebrow at him. "So you're basically saying that we'll be just winging it on our day out tomorrow?" she asks in disbelief.

Link shrugs. "You've summed it up pretty much," he replies sheepishly. _'But I did decide for sure where we're stopping at the end of the day,' _he adds in his mind.

Zelda yawns. "Goodnight, Link," she says, already half-asleep as she rests her head against the front of Link's neck.

Link rests his chin against the top of her head, listening to her soft snores. "Night, Zel," he whispers, closing his eyes.


	3. A Mistake and a Day Out

_The next morning, 4:45 a.m..._

Both Link and Zelda are already wide awake and getting the things necessary packed into their horses' saddlebags. They've planned to head out on their horses a half hour after the sun rises and they try to get everything they need packed in the short time they have remaining.

"You have everything?" Zelda asks, closing the door behind her.

Link nods. "I packed everything we're gonna need while we're out," he replies, closing one of the saddlebags on Epona's saddle.

"Good, because I have a favor to ask of you," Zelda says. "I'd like you to cut my hair for me."

Link says nothing for a long time as he's processing his girlfriend's request. "Okay, let me get this straight," he starts, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "You want me ... to cut ... your hair. Why?"

Zelda crosses her arms. "What's wrong?" she asks, irritated. "You doubt my decision?"

Link shakes his head. "Wouldn't dream of it," he replies. "I just wanted to find out the reason for this sudden decision."

Zelda chuckles. _'He could've just said that from the start,' _she thinks. "I feel like it's time for a change," she says instead, looking down at her feet.

Link cocks his head, confused, as he walks up to her. "What prompted you to make this choice?" he asks gently, taking her hands in his.

Zelda looks up at him. "Well, seeing that this isn't the same Hyrule that we remember from 100 years ago and that it's changed so much in that time, I feel that neither of us are the same Link and Zelda we were back then," she replies, leaning her forehead against his chest.

Link goes along with her skepticism. "And that's why you chose to cut your hair? To mark that you aren't the same Princess of Hyrule that you were?" he reasons, running his fingers through her golden locks.

Zelda looks up at him, surprised that he figured out the exact reason. "Okay, first of all, I don't want to be _Princess _Zelda anymore; I just want to be Zelda," she reprimands, a scowl on her face. "And, second of all, I'm not bringing back a kingdom that has been dead for one hundred years."

Link sighs in relief. "Oh, that's good to know," he says sarcastically. "I was wondering when you were gonna say that."

Zelda raises her eyebrow at him, confused. "And _why _for Hylia's sake is that a good thing?" she asks. "I thought you were the one who tells me that I'm being childish and shouldn't think that way. Where did my silent, courageous knight go?"

Link shrugs. "Eh, I changed with wild Hyrule," he replies, putting both hands against her neck. "And I think that this change is good in some ways, don't you?"

Zelda smiles and nods. "Yeah, for one thing, you're so much more talkative," she replies, giggling at his look of indignation. "Back then, you hardly said anything to the point that I had work to get you to even say just a few words. So, yes, the change was good in some ways."

Link smiles. "Well, now you just can't get me to stop, can you?" he teases, a lopsided grin on his face.

Zelda giggles and pushes him playfully away from her.

Link feigns a hurt look as he staggers backward in a dramatic fashion. "Oh, so that's how we're doing it now?" he asks sarcastically, chasing after her.

Zelda shrieks and runs away, careening around the house and hides behind the horse shed.

Link snickers, grabbing a Sneaky Elixir and chugging it down. _'This girl's gonna be the death of me someday,' _he thinks, crouching down so Zelda can't hear him. "Just a little farther," he whispers under his breath. "Gotcha!" he says, grabbing his girlfriend around her waist and lifting her up onto his shoulder.

Zelda shrieks and tries to get away. "Link, let me go!" she scolds him, hitting him in the back.

The sudden action makes Link fall down and land hard on his left shoulder. "Ahh!" he yells in pain, holding his left arm tightly.

Zelda lands on her back and is on her feet so quick when she hears Link's cry of pain. "Oh, Goddesses, I'm so sorry, Link," she apologizes, helping him sit up. "I didn't mean for that to happen. Are you alright?"

Link shrugs, wincing right away from the sudden painful movement. "I'm gonna be fine, Zel," he replies, even though he's actually worried about if his shoulder will ever be the same again. ""I always am."

But Zelda isn't convinced, though. "Turn so I can look at your busted shoulder," she directs.

Link lets out a groan of frustration, but does as he's told. He holds his left arm close to his side as he uses his right hand to adjust his position.

Zelda gently grabs his elbow and moves his arm up slowly, stopping when she hears him hiss in pain. "Are you okay, Link?" she asks, concerned.

Link nods stiffly. "Yep, just peachy," he replies through clenched teeth, trying his best to endure the pain.

Zelda thinks for a moment and moves to Link's right side, helping him get to his feet. "Come on, Link," she says, slipping his right arm around her neck. "Let's get you over to the tree next to the house."

Link pulls his right arm off her neck. "Zelda, I'll be fine walking over there by myself," he says, holding his left arm against his chest. "I'm still able to walk. I didn't hurt my leg."

Zelda sighs sadly, but she accepts his admonition and nods. "Okay, but I'm going to walk behind you just to make sure you don't fall on your bad shoulder," she says, not accepting any excuses.

Link huffs. "Zelda, I know you want to help me, but–" he starts.

"No, Link," Zelda interrupts, making him sit down. "You've taken care of me since we defeated the Calamity and now it's time for me to return the favor."

Link sighs, leaning against the tree. "You know, we could've just gone in the house to get this taken care of," he says, grimacing and biting the inside of his cheek when Zelda lifts his arm up.

Zelda cringes inwardly as she starts to examine his shoulder. "Sorry," she apologizes. "Yeah, you dislocated your shoulder entirely."

Link looks at her. "You think you can get it back in place?" he asks, taking one of her hands in his.

Zelda nods. "I'll try to be as gentle as I can," she promises. "But I can't guarantee that it won't hurt."

Link squeezes her hand reassuringly. "I'll endure the pain because I know that you'll be able to fix my arm," he says, letting go of her hand to put his hand on the back of her head and making their foreheads touch. "You need to believe that you can do anything because you kept the Calamity at bay for 100 years."

They pull away and Zelda smiles. "Thank you, Link," she replies, kissing his forehead lightly.

Link breathes deeply. "Okay, I'm ready," he decides, turning his body to face his busted shoulder towards her.

Zelda takes a deep breath and stretches Link's arm out completely, pushes it back all the way, and moves it out a full ninety degrees so it's now straight out. "Oh, I felt it pop back into place, Link," she says, gently grabbing his chin and turning his sweaty face towards her.

Link breathes heavily, the look of pain slowly disappearing from his face. "Is it done?" he asks, looking up at his girlfriend.

Zelda nods. "Your shoulder is fixed," she replies, squeezing his right hand tightly. "Move your arm around for me."

Link sighs. "Of course, Dr. Zelda," he grumbles, slowly lifting his arm up and rotating it in a circle. "Wow, you did pretty good, Zel."

Zelda chuckles, getting to her feet. "I may have learned a couple things from Impa," she replies meekly.

Link uses his newly-fixed left arm and pushes himself to his feet. "Well, you fixed my shoulder, so now I _have _to return the favor," he says, getting a small dagger out of one of her saddlebags. "Kneel down in front of me so I can get this done."

* * *

_Forty-five minutes later..._

"There, all done," Link says, satisfied with his work. "Go lean over the pond and look at the new you."

Zelda walks over to the pond and looks at her reflection. _'Oh. For the love of Hylia, he did really good,' _she thinks, admiring how the wind actually blows through her hair instead of just moving the ends around. She gets back to her feet and turns to look at her boyfriend, a big smile on her face.

Link feels happiness bubbling in his stomach as he watches Zelda walk past him and get onto Blizzard. "Someone looks happy," he comments once he's on Epona and leading the way out of Hateno.

Zelda urges Blizzard into a trot and slows him back down to a walk when he's next to Epona. "I'm just happy that you still went ahead and cut my hair for me," she replies, reaching out to grab his hand in hers. "Thank you, Link."

Link brushes it off. "All I did was I felt like I needed to do something to thank you," he says.

Zelda smiles and suddenly slows Blizzard to a stop, making her horse whinny and rear up a bit. She jumps off and hides her face in his saddle.

Link catches this in the corner of his eye and immediately slows Epona to a stop as well, jumping off and slowly sauntering over to her. "Zel, you okay?" he asks, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asks when she doesn't say anything.

Zelda looks up at him, tears staining her cheeks. "No, I'm not okay, Link," she replies, hugging him tightly.

Link strokes her hair and rests his chin on top of her head. "What's going on?" he asks, curious about what the problem is.

Zelda fists his tunic in her hand. "I remembered that day when you–" she stops, too emotional to continue.

"The day I died?" Link finishes, letting go of her to tilt her head up to look at him. "Hey, listen to me. Everything that happened before that day and when that day happened is in the past, okay? I'm here now and that's what matters most."

Zelda is still uncertain, though. "But what if the same thing happens again?" she asks, leaning her forehead against his chest.

Link slides his hand under her chin and tilts her head up. "Then we'll face it together, just like we did before," he replies, wiping a stray tear from her cheek and presses his palm against her neck.

Zelda nods. "You're right," she agrees, lacing her fingers with his. "We survived the Calamity, and, as long as we're together, we can face anything."

Link smiles and puts his other hand on her neck. "Definitely," he says, leaning down and planting a kiss on her lips. "You know you're adorable when you worry."

Zelda chuckles and moves closer to him. "I could say the same thing about you," she replies, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Link chuckles and moves his hands to the back of her head. "I love you, Zel," he whispers and presses their foreheads together.

Zelda moves her hands up to rest on her boyfriend's shoulders. "I love you too, babe," she whispers back.

They stay like this for a few more moments before Link pulls away and takes her hands in his. "Come on, we better get going or we may have to cancel our day out," he says, walking towards Epona and climbs up, swinging his leg over. "You good to go, Zel?"

Zelda nods, getting on Blizzard. "Mmhmm," she replies, urging her steed into a trot. "Let's go."

The two set off once again and ride over to Lurelin Village. They spend a few hours there and then head towards Tarrey Town. Link introduces Zelda to Hudson and his wife and the two take a walk around. The two stop for lunch and Link offers to let Zelda ride with him for a little while, paying at Outskirt Stable to board Blizzard. After they stop in Faron and in Hebra, they journey over to Sanadin Park.

As they are nearing the region where Satori Mountain and Sanadin Park are, Link looks back at his girlfriend. "Okay, Zel, close your eyes and lean your head against my back," he says slowing Epona to a stop.

Zelda cocks her head, confused. "Why?" she asks, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

Link shakes his head. "Do you trust me, Zel?" he asks her, smiling slightly as he looks back at her, awaiting her answer.

Zelda sighs dramatically and does as she's told.

Link chuckles and urges his mount into a canter. It's not even a couple minutes before he slows Epona down to a complete stop, making her rear up a little. "Wait for me to get down, okay, Zel?" he says, jumping off and landing in the grass. "Don't open your eyes just yet."

Zelda nods and keeps her eyes closed, putting her palms on Epona's saddle to keep her balance.

Link turns around and puts one of his hands on hers. "Okay, I'll help you down now," he says, placing his other hand on her back. "I'm going to grab your waist as you get down so you don't hurt yourself, alright?"

Zelda nods, swinging her leg over to jump off. She feels Link put his hands in hers and she pushes herself off of Epona, landing right in Link's arms.

Link chuckles and moves some of his girlfriend's hair out of her face, noticing that she still has her eyes closed. "Just put your arm around mine and I'll do the rest, okay?" he says, looping her arm in the crook of his elbow and the two of them shuffling forward. "Okay, there's stairs coming up, so step up right now." Zelda complies and walks up the stairs with him. Link tries to not focus too much on the ring in his belt pouch and instead focuses on the love of his life walking blind next to him. "Okay, let's stop right here." Link steps behind Zelda and places his hands on her shoulders gently. "Okay, open your eyes now."

Zelda opens her eyes and gasps, her hands moving up to cover her open mouth. "Oh, Goddesses, Link," she whispers, slowly walking forward to the railing. "You brought me to our last place we visited before we headed over to Mount Lanayru?"

Link chuckles from behind her. "I remembered that this is your favorite location in all of Hyrule," he replies, smiling as he fiddles with the ring in his hand.

Zelda leans against the railing and closes her eyes, breathing the fresh air in. _'Today has been the best day ever,' _she thinks, wishing for the day to never end.


	4. Surprise!

**Hiya, everyone! I'm back with the updated chapter. Big thanks to gordanfreeman42069 and Guest for letting me know about the "robot text" and it's now fixed. So, enjoy!**

**–––**

As the sun begins to set, signaling the end to another day in "wild" Hyrule, Link and Zelda lean against each other on the railing at Sanadin Park as they watch the sky change from shades of blue to shades of red, orange, yellow, magenta, and purple.

Zelda sighs in content and she leans further into Link, slipping her hand in his and squeezing it tightly. "Thank you for the day out, Link," she whispers. "It was very wonderful to get out of the house for a while."

Link chuckles and wraps his arm around her waist. "It really was not a problem at all," he replies, kissing the top of her head. "I enjoyed being a tour guide for the day."

Zelda giggles and lightly hits him in the chest. "Oh, Link, you goof," she replies. "You shouldn't view yourself as just a tour guide. You're very familiar with the layout of this new version of Hyrule and you know where the best places to stop at are."

Link chuckles and moves his arm from around her waist to fully lean on the railing. "Yeah, well, as the hero with 'the sword that seals the darkness', I _had_ to become familiar with wild Hyrule in order to save you," he says, crossing his arms while leaning against the railing.

Zelda smiles and leans against the railing as well. "Yeah, you got all the Sheikah towers, many of the shrines, and freed all of the Divine Beasts," she adds, walking over to sit in the grass in front of the horse statue. "I don't think that I've told you this, but you are the bravest person I know, Link." She plucks a couple blades of grass and looks down while messing around with the grass blades.

Link notices that, despite the fact that she's grateful to him for saving her, something's bothering her just by how hesitant she looks and the fact that she's playing with grass when she usually _never _does that. He says nothing as he walks over to sit next to her. "You thinking about our lost friends?" he asks softly.

Zelda nods slowly and twists the grass blade between her fingers. "If I'd figured out how to unlock my powers sooner, do you think I could've sealed the Calamity away before it even had the chance to strike?" she wonders, looking at Link.

Link clicks his tongue and pulls her close. "Even if we'd known what the Calamity was planning, the outcome wouldn't have changed completely," he replies softly, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "The Calamity would've still used the Guardians to lay waste to Hyrule."

Zelda sniffs as she leans against Link's chest. "I miss them _so _much," she whispers, tears forming. "You think that the Champions miss us too?"

Link runs his fingers through her hair and kisses her head gently. "I'm sure they do," he says quietly. "But we're Champions as well, you know. It's not like Hyrule's only hope were Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk. You went and faced Ganon all on your own after hiding me away in the Shrine of Resurrection to heal, kept it at bay for a hundred years while waiting for me to come rescue you, and helped me by sealing the Calamity away after I freed you."

Zelda smiles and kisses his cheek. "You sly old man," she teases softly, getting to her feet. "You think that it's about time to head towards home now?" she asks, helping her boyfriend up.

Link shakes his head. "Not yet," he replies, earning a look of confusion from her. "I have one more thing to do before we head home."

Zelda says nothing as she watches Link pull something from his belt pouch, but she can't tell what it is and looks on in curiosity.

Link takes her hand in his. "Zel, we've been through so much together," he starts. "We started out strictly with you as the princess of Hyrule and me as your appointed knight that went everywhere with you, and, by the time the Calamity struck, we'd become good friends. And now, we're relying on each other more and more to overcome our demons that return regularly to haunt us, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. You're my only friend I have left – my best friend – and I want us to be there for each other. Zelda, will you accept my request to be more than just my best friend?" he asks, getting down on one knee. "Will you be my wife?"

Zelda begins sobbing, her hands covering her mouth, and she falls to her knees. "Yes, Link, I will," she whispers, hugging him tightly with a huge smile on her face. "You never were the kind of man that did things simple. You always have to do things with style."

Link lets her go and opens his hand to finally reveal the silver band with a topaz inlayed into it. "Good, 'cause I was beginning to wonder when I'd be able to put this on your finger," he says, sliding the ring onto her ring finger. "I had it made in Gerudo Town by Bularia and Riju herself, but the topaz was carved by the finest Goron jewelers in Goron City."

Zelda examines the ring on her finger in the fading daylight. "It's gorgeous, Link!" she cries, a big smile on her face as she attacks him with a kiss on the lips. "This is the very best day that I've _ever_ had," she whispers when she pulls away from him.

Link smiles as he gets to his feet and puts his hand out to pull his girlfriend – now fiance – to her feet. "I'm glad you like it," he says, both of them walking toward Epona. Link helps Zelda up onto the saddle and gets on behind her, taking the reins and steering their mount towards Hateno. Zelda leans against Link's chest and slowly nods off at some point on the way home.

* * *

_Three months later, Link's and Zelda's wedding is held in the public square at Tarrey Town and the two are happily married off by Kapson. Their ceremony was a small one since they only invited Sidon and a few other Zora, Teba and his family, Yunobo and a couple Gorons, Riju and Bularia, Impa, Paya, Purah, Symin, Robbie, Jerrin, their son, and a couple other people that Link met on his travels. But their fight for Hyrule's freedom wasn't finished just yet._

* * *

Link and Zelda are laying down on the grass in front of their little Hateno home during the cooler evening of a crisp fall day, their hands intertwined.

"Link?"

"Yeah, Zel?"

"You think Ganon's gone for good?" Zelda asks, letting go of Link's hand and sitting up.

Link sits up as well, looking over at her. "What makes you think that?" he asks.

Zelda sits with her legs crossed and pulls out a couple blades of grass. "I just ... I feel that our job of saving Hyrule isn't done yet," she replies, leaning her elbows against her knees and breaking the grass blades into tiny pieces. "Do you think that Calamity Ganon is really gone for good, or was it something else behind the huge beast?"

Link puts his hand on his wife's shoulder to comfort her. "Zel, I don't know if Ganon is truly gone," he replies softly, moving his hand from her shoulder to her cheek. "But what I do know for sure is that, whatever comes our way at any point in the future, we'll face it together just as we always have."

Zelda smiles and leans against his palm, gaining a smile from her husband. "Yeah, you're right, Link," she replies, kissing his palm. "What would I ever do without you, my brave knight?"

Link smiles back and moves his hand to the back of her head, pressing their foreheads together. "Don't worry, Zel," he says softly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Zelda chuckles. "And I promise that I won't let anything happen to you either," she replies.

The two stay outside for a little bit longer before going inside when it starts to get too cold, unaware of the danger that lurks that they will soon have to face.

–––

**Alright, that's a wrap for this chapter. I also have an important announcement that I have to make and I'm going to post that as an author's note. Anyways, kudos and I'll catch y'all later!**


	5. Author's Note

Hiya, everyone! So, just wanted to let y'all know that I'm going to be posting a continuation to this story called "Unexpected Miracles". The story will be about as long as its predecessor – about four - five chapters and will take place about two years after "Bonds That Surpass Fate". Anyways, I'm going to update as regularly as I can, so I'll catch y'all later.


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